Quietly scouting the "Welcome Mum to America" headquarters... :)

***

"I like the words I use to bear some relation to facts. That's why I'm interested in eternity - psychological eternity. Because it's a fact."

"For you, perhaps," said Jeremy.

"For anyone who chooses to fulfill the conditions under which it can be experienced."

"And why should anyone wish to fulfill them?"

"Why should anyone choose to go to Athens to see the Parthenon? Because it's worth the bother. And the same is true of eternity. The experience of timeless good is worth all the trouble it involved."

"Timeless good," Jeremy repeated with distaste. "I don't know that the words mean."

"Why should you?" said Mr. Propter. "You've never bought your ticket to Athens."

This hand behind the bars represents freedom, not captivity... Freedom from testing, prodding and ridicule.

Today I went to Chimp Sanctuary!! This fabulous place is, surprisingly enough, hidden in the thicket only about 20 minutes from my home. I heard about this many moons ago and wanted to volunteer but the list of vaccinations I needed cooled my enthusiasim, am simply not the vaccinating type... So, I clicked the "Donate" button, sighed, and went on with my life. Until couple of weeks ago when a friend fo mine gave me the good news - Save The Chimps members are allowed one yearly visit and the next one (also the first one ever) was scheduled for today! Off I went and the collage above is a summary of my experience. Chimps are living in family groups, each group on 4-5 acres with their own "house", playground and canal. The latter prevents them from wandering too far as chimps cannot swim. One of our group asked if they are ever tempted and the answer given was fabulous - "They are as tempted to swim as we are to fly, we both just know that it cannot be done". At least not without an outside help. :) Walking around these huge grounds, hearing the stories about individual chimps, seeing them looking at us with as much fascination as we felt looking at them added up to a most uplifting experience... It was really difficult to decide who was entertaining whom! :D And, what stunned me the most perhaps was their size! One never realizes that most chimps used in adds etc are babies... Grownups are really towering at our height and are magnificent indeed! But no matter the size or age, these chimps have made it to the happy end... Not all of them do. But the numbers rescued are steadily growing. And perhaps there will dawn a day when USA stops using these almost relations in labs... I'll cross my fingers and leave the bag with nuts and bananas at their doorstep...

"... The wolves were produced in Quanzhou, China, from January to June of 2006. The commissioned local workshop in Cai’s hometown specializes in manufacturing remarkable, life-sized replicas of animals. First, small clay models were created as movement studies, out of which Cai subsequently developed Head On’s artist editions of cast resin wolves. However, the realistic and lifelike 99 wolves that grew out of these models and drawings possess no literal remnants of wolves: they are fabricated from painted sheepskins and stuffed with hay and metal wires, with plastic lending contour to their faces and marbles for eyes... " Fabulous display!

See here: deutsche-guggenheim

This was too precious to not share, LOL... Enjoy the vocal stylings of a fabulous canine. :)

Morning walk with Simon is one of the best times of the day... You stretch and you breathe in all the musky, fresh, "morningy" smells, thinking to yourself, "Ah, the world is awaking" and a minute later realize that you are the only one awaking, the world is Wide Awake! Grass is drinking in the last drops of dew, bugs are happily scurrying around (I hope they are happy, there is really no telling, but I prefer it this way ;) and birds cutting across the sky from north to south and all other imaginable directions. Sometimes you can see someone special. Like today... I heard hir before I saw hir and the sight of this beautiful bird was the force that shot me to the house and right out again with the camera, (Wishing I had a better zoom!! Honey, I hope you are reading this.) clicking away, "freezing" the moment and then just standing and looking. We are all truly beautiful...

I have waited and waited and finally... got a cat! She is not quite like my other cats but the differences are really minuscule... Like, her belly shines in the dark and her nails look like little balls. Other than that - kass mis kass! :D

If you have ever wondered about the egg beaters, then here is your answer - they are totally edible! :D Add some steamed broccoli, a little salsa to spike it up and off you go, whee!!!

Some mornings are special. Like the one today. The air is so clean that you feel yourself falling through it... Florida doesn't afford many "crispy" moments and the ones she does, are worth savoring. No matter the freezing fingers :)

Today is one of those days when I once again cherish the idea that brought me to Florida. Windows are open, slight breeze is making the curtains dance, both in- and outdoors - as today is surely the day for washing curtains and then watching them fly... And this is exactly what we do, Simon and me.

 

Little January hike in 27 C... Ended up with a tad of a sunburn :)

Lift-off dinner in Food Shack :)

Enjoy the ride! :)

Days of wonder

Guatemala has all sorts of wonders, but good internet is not one of them! So, until my return to speedy net, here is the link to my wanderings, labelled and posted on FB... The Heart of the Mayan World. Enjoy!!!